Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 778 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

se >) le - \. é : ~~ =. ~~" , -dowred him for good. But hurry on, Seguin, eat 2 Lhe mee Oe? wk, te sates. ago how bard yer luck had been. But ‘you'll git there yit; you’re on the right track. ‘Kitty is not far ahead of you; Highland Harry is also up the pass, and so’s that big devil, Ajax, Dbut— ‘* But what in Heaven’s name means all this?” asked Seguin, pointing to the bodies of the slain and wounded red-skins before them. ‘* That’s the work of that big hellyon, Ajax!” replied Stony Boyne; then as his face lit up with a smile of fiendish joy he continued: ‘‘ but it’s his last fight. You will ride over his life- less carcass in the shadows yonder, for I just if you would recover your wife. Look sharp for Highland Harry.” ‘Stand!’ suddenly shouted a loud voice from down the defile; ‘‘ move not or you’ die, Hank Seguin, fur be it known that Highland Harry, the Death Pop, has a bead drawn upon your craven heart, while 1, Ajax, the Infant Giant, alive and well, have another gent under cover. Oh, no, Mr. Stony Boyne! you did not quite down me, thanks to the stone I stumbled over. “We're hungerin’for a fight. Our fingersitch to tickle the triggers of our guns. Move, Hank Seguin and Stony Boyne, one step and rip’ll go an ounce bullet through your carcasses!” ‘* My God!” cried Boyne, *‘ that’s the voice of that accursed Giant! He escaped my bullet after all! Do not move, Seguin, or you will be a dead man!” Concealed in the shadows, with the outlaws in open daylight, the young mountaineers had, indeed, the drop on the foe and full well the latter knew it. Fairly trembling in their saddles with mortal fear, the outlaws durst not move a muscle. Each one felt that he was the especial target of Highland Harry, the very mention of whose name was sufficient to send a chill through the heart of the average outlaw. The situation was rather a novel one. Seven men well armed were virtually held motionless by twoinvisible foes. To Seguin it was dread- fully humiliating, but his recent experience with these same mountaineers in his own cabin, however exasperating it was, was such as to in- duce him to respect their commands. He had made a quick survey of the situation, and men- tal calculation of the chances of escape by a bold dash; but the result was not at all promis- ing, for he saw that before they could get their horses in motion half of them could be shot down. After holding a consultation among them- ‘selves, one of the outlaws called out: ‘‘Say, what do you assassins propose to do?” ‘¢ Shoot you, if you stir,” responded Highland arry. - Do you intend we'll stand here till we take root?” again asked the freebooter. ‘‘ Oh, no,” answered Ajax; “‘ we jist want to try your patience; besides, we would rather kill ou if you give us an excuse. There’s Pap oyne, who acted like an old fool awhile ago, that we count as one of your gang for shootin’ par if he goes to chimpanzeein’ around the least bit. I’ve stood all his tom-foolery I’m goin’ to. But, say, Seguin, how did your wed- in’ go off? I know some o’ the supper went off with Highland Harry and yours truly ;—fine cook, that wench of yours, Seg. Reckon you’re off on your weddin’ tour, ar’n’t you? Queer cu‘toms in this country. Back in old Maine, where I was bornand educated, the groom tears *round with his bride a month or so. Ugly amug that you carry, Beg. married life bruises eg breaks you all up, don't it? But such are ‘the incidents of life that makes this old world half a fraud.” To the outlaws Ajax’s words were terribly provoking, and it was all scme of them could do 45 keep quiet. The Giant did not seem to be more than thirty or forty paces from them, and ‘they endeavored to locate his exact position b ‘the sound of his voice. But in this they failed, owing to the shadowsthat concealed the big foe, and so they were compelled to face the distract- ding music. The cornered villains conversed among them- ‘selves in an undertone, each one racking his brain for some expedient by which they might escape from danger and their humiliating posi- tion. But what seemed possible to one was re- jected by the others, Finally one reckless fellow resolved to make a ‘break, anyhow, upon bis own motion, and quick asa flash threw himself from his saddle and darted away toward the defile through which ‘they bad entered the opening. But quick as he was, Highland Harry was quicker—his rifle wrung out and the fugitive fell dead. The result of the outlaw’s attempt to escape Highland Harry; the Wizard Ri i s 3 e0i4ah= er Swe kee eee ae GHA PRY - 2 THRE Tyee et Wea ied fleman. > was a frightful warning to his friends, and when the dead man’s horse, relieved of its rider’s restraining hand, walked leisurely off to one side, making the other animals somewhat oa | he | less, a general panic was threatened. spirited horse of Seguin began pawing the ground in a restless, impatient manner that made it very uncomfortable for the man whose life depended on his keeping his horse quiet as | wellas himself, After holding the outlaws this way ten or fif- | teen minutes, the young mountaineers decided upon another course, and Ajax yelled out: ‘‘Say, you fellers, we’ve decided to have a change in the situation, and you’ll be ready to | promptly respond,” Before the change decided upon could be an- nounced, the ears.of the mountaineers caught | the sound of footsteps creeping stealthily-up be- hind them! CHAPTER XX. PROFESSOR SIMON MURDER, PROFESSOR PLUNKETT watched Highland Harry in breathless suspense until the fearless mountain, then he moved on along the brow of the hights with a quickened footstep. He crossed the ridge and descended into a densely- wooded valley toward the north, and_was Sai, ears were suddenly greeted by a sharp, stern voice commanding: ‘** Halt there, old sinner! and throw up!” throwing up his hands piped out: ‘There! don’t shoot! eome forth!” Out from a thicket came two men dressed in the garb of mountaineers, their grizzled faces broad with a smile. They were Spokane Joe and Uncle Bildad At sight of them the professor shouted: ‘‘T am Simon Plunkett, an inoffensive ento- mologist—who are you?” The old bordermen came up and introduced themselves, and then began plying Plunkett with questions in a tone that reflected some doubt of his reputed character, ‘‘ Here, gentlemen,” said the professor per- ceiving their distrust, ‘‘ let me show you some of my specimens and be convinced of what I tell you.” He handed Uncle Bildad a bottle containing two or three bugs. The old man looked at the bottle, then producing a similar one from his own pocket compared the two, saying: ‘*Dog my cats! if they ain’t jist alike even to the label onto them!” **'Yoop! glory!” exclaimed Plunkett at sight of Bildad’s bottle; ‘‘ the lost is found! That's mine, geuts, for which I’ve been hunting these weeks!” ‘** Yours? humph! we found itin the crevices o’ a rock whar my chum, Spokane Joe, declared it was deposited during the Glacial Epoch. The aper in it has writin’ on it which Spokane says is the writin’ of a prehistoric age.” ‘*'You’re a luscious pair of antiquarians, you are,” retorted Plunkett; ‘‘the writing on the aper in that bottle is my own, done less than wo years ago. It is the dying confession of one Ruth Grimm and is witnessed by Henry Se- guin and yours truly, Simon Plunkett. See if am not correct.” ‘‘Stranger, we’ve examined it,” replied Uncle Bildad, ‘‘and guess it’s yours. em three names are on the paper, which, as you say, seems to be adying statement. Here, take your property !” A smile of exceeding great joy passed over Plunkett’s face as he received the bottle to which he addressed an apostrophe in eloquent tones, Spokane Joe said: ** Perfesser, we’ve got to be goin’; we heard the sound o’a conflict over in the big canyon and are headed that way. We've friends in these varminty hills—” . ‘* Highland Harry one of them?” asked Plun- ett. ‘* To be sure he is; have you seen him?” ‘** Left me less than half an hour ago—jumped off the mountain-top to take a hand in that fight. Itseems to me you fellers are scattered like a flushed covey of quails. In unity there’s strength—united we stand, divided we fall, and if you fellows have no objections ’ll unite my forces with you and—”’ ‘**Come right along, Spokane Joe. The three moved off down the valley, which grew narrower:and deeper as they advauced perfessor,” interrupted PLUNKETT ACCUSED OF | youth had disappeared from sight adown the | ing briskly along through the timber when his | Quick as a flash the professor stopped, and | After a few minutes’ further conversation | untilit became a canyon. They were but a few _rods from the big canyon into which the one they were following opened, when they suddenly came face to face with Kitty Boyne. At sight of her, Uncle Bildad was almost dum- otal ‘My Lord!” he exclaimed, ‘‘is this Kitty Boyne? and alone?” | “Oh, Uncle Bildad!” the maiden exclaimed, joyfully, ‘*T am so glad to meet you!” ‘So’m I you, Kitty; but, for goodness’ sakes! | what are you doin’ here alone, child?” ‘Highland Harry sent me into this defile while he hastened to help Ajax fight a pursuing party of outlaws.” ‘‘ Kitty Boyne did I understand you to call this little lady?” asked Prof. Plunkett, ‘* Yes,” answered Uncle Bildad; ** Kitty, this is Professor Simon Plunkett—scientific bug- hunter.” Bowing politely to the maiden, the professor asked; . Kitty, didn’t you used to be called Theresa Grimm?” The maiden started back, and as she fixed her eyes upon Plunkett her face grew ashen pale. ‘Why do you ask that?” she finally deuand- ed: ‘‘ what is it to you what 1 used to be | called ?” | ‘*Then you have never heard of the natural- ist, Simon Plunkett, that two years ago—”’ ‘* Ah!” cried Kitty, as some terrible thought | seemed to have entered her mind, *‘ you are the murderer!—the man that killed my mother in cold blood!” Simon Plunkett was a man of nerve,and he met the maiden’s accusation with unflinching calmness, ‘‘That’s something I had‘ not expected.” he said. ‘*‘ You have no doubt, Miss Kitty, been made to believe that I killed your mother; but whoever told you so lied hke a piping devil!” ‘* Henry Seguin and my father told me so,” Kitty exclaimed. ‘* Well, they both lied like the villains they are,” Plunkett declared. ‘‘ Your mother shot herself accidentally, and soon after I happened ‘along atthe cabin. She was alone and dying, ' and wished to make a death-bed statement in | justice to you, Kitty. I wrote down her werds, | and, thank the Lord, I have them in this bottle, ' right here. While writing berstatement Henry Seguin came to the cabin, He heard the whole | story, and signed this paper as a witness» fleft | Seguin at the cabin and went away, havirig _ promised to deliver the paper toone David Ray- |} mond. I never dreamed of danger until a man | popped up before me in the mountains, hours | afterward, and demanded Mrs, Grimm’s con- _fession. 1 popped him over and ran. A second _ fellow shot at me and came very near his mark, That fellow was Henry Seguin. The other I | mistrusted was Grimm. They pursued me for over a hundred miles, and for fear they might | get holdof the paper I concealed it in the crevice _ofarock. For two months I’ve been trying to find it, and only a few minutes ago received it from the hands of these gentlemen. I know Grimm and Seguin had plotted some conspiracy against you, for be it known, Kitty, that man | Grimm, alias Bill Boyne, is not your father.” ‘‘ What! William Boyne not my father!’ cried Kitty. ‘*No, ma’am,” replied Plunkett; “‘ listen to this confession of your mother, Kitty.” | He read the paper over to her. The girl was | astounded, ty | ‘‘Then Mrs, Grimm was not my mother, either!” she cried. | ‘No, ma’am,” responded the professor; ‘*‘ you | | ce seem to have been sinned against from your birth, Kitty.” ‘* And when is it to end?’ the maiden asked, an expression of pain passing over her face, ‘But there is one thing I am truly glad to learn, and that is that Stony Boyne is not my ' father. He is now near by, in yonder canyon and less than an hour ago he declared I shoul be Henry Seguin’s wife. For over two years I bave persistently refused to recognize Seguin even as a friend. I loathe him, and yet my father—Stony Boyne—has always been a warm friend of his. His conduct toward me to-day, as well as the past years, proves tbat he has no | father! feeling for me. Since my mother’s | death I mistrusted that he was engaged in some _scheme cr other, for he at once moved to Red Bar and changed his name to Grimm, I chang- | ing my name also, by his request. He repre- sented to me that his object was to conceal his | identity and hunt down mother’s murderer. He has claimed for several years to be a detective, and I su he was, never once dreamin that he was in collusion with the outlaws,” —_ § we Bymy/ » ie a i j O ) 2 a . yale Foo) © ge ie ‘ oo gadr c% “ "se .